Pair given football ban over Gallowgate protest

ASHLIE MCANALLY

TWO men have been handed football banning orders after being arrested following a controversial protest march.

Nicholas Diplacito, 29, and Mark Glancy, 24, were part of a large scale disturbance before a Celtic and Aberdeen match in March last year.

Celtic fans group the Green Brigade had organised a “corteo” to back supporters who it felt had been harshly treated by the club and the procurator fiscal following recent law changes.

Around 200 police officers were reportedly deployed to the control the 300-strong gathering outside the Chrystal Bell pub in Glasgow’s Gallowgate.

Police were eventually forced to take action after many of those present began protesting on the road - against an agreement that fans could only march on the pavement.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard officers spotted Glancy outside a cordon and “laid hands” on him in a bid to control him.

Prosecutor Stephen Ferguson said: “Glancy in an apparent response to this began to behave in an aggressive manner towards the police officer.

“He began to lash out with his hands and the police officer decided he should be placed under arrest.”

As Glancy continued to struggle, Diplacito - who did not know him - pulled him from the grip of the police and pushed the officers away.

Although he broke free, other offices got hold of Glancy again. He was later found with a £5 ecstasy pill.

Diplacito meantime approached two other police officers in a “confrontation manner”.

The court heard he yelled “scum, scum, scum” at them leading to him also being arrested.

Police also later found on him a small amount of cannabis.

Glancy, of the city’s Gorbals, pled guilty to “resisting, obstructing, molesting and hindering” police and breaking free from them.

He also admitted possession of ecstasy.

Diplacito, of Lanark, South Lanarkshire, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, struggling with officers and breaking Glancy free from custody as well as a charge of possession of cannabis.

The court heard the protest had been against the recently introduced Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Scotland Act.

The Green Brigade said at the time that march was to “raise awareness and show support for the growing list of Celtic supporters receiving and facing bans”.

Glancy’s lawyer Paul Kavanagh today told the court it was “fairly evident” police had initially pushed him and that was why he reacted.

Mr Kavanagh - who claimed Glancy was from a “good background” and “well educated” - added he had not been part of the march at first and had only later joined in.

The court further heard that Diplacito had gone out that day intending to go to the game and had not planned to be par of any protest.

Sheriff Paul Crozier handed each a one year football banning order.

Diplacito was also ordered to carry out 135 hours of unpaid work while Glancy was fined £630.